The Art of Eating What You Want, Even With Toddlers at the Table

Meal Monday

When my family sat down to eat the other day, I looked around the table, perplexed. When did we start eating exclusively on small plates? When did I stop drinking anything interesting with dinner? When did savory crackers and fabulous cheese appetizer disappear off the menu?

No, these aren't calorie-reducing steps we've adopted. They're the little things we have been doing since our 21-month old son joined us at the table. In him we are blessed with a good and flexible eater, but we have had to navigate around his need for us to have exactly the same food, on the same plates, NOW. Hence the small plates (my astute husband noticed that when we have bigger plates, it makes him think we're eating different meals), the avoidance of caffeine, soda or alcohol (he WILL grab the glass when I'm not looking), and the elimination of appetizers (gotta get to the point, no time for lingering before sitting down).

I'm happy to have made these changes to how we eat and only a few changes to what we eat. I've adopted some approaches to the menu that ensure we get what we want, and so does he. Check them out and let me know if they work for you:

• Go post-modern: Deconstruct the meal. One of my favorite brunches is a fresh, toasted bagel, coated in a thin layer of cream cheese, capers, red onion, a salted slice of ripe tomato, and sliced green olives. That's a little complicated for a toddler. But he loves all the components. He'll eat the bagel, he loves olives and tomatoes, and oddly, he'd eat a jar of capers if I let him. So I break it down. I give him all the pieces, he's happy and I'm happy.
• Dress it up, dress it down. A nicely grilled breast of chicken, some great veggies and fluffy rice make a fabulous blank canvas of a meal that your kids are likely to enjoy. But maybe they're a bit boring for you. So, cook the rice in a little bit of broth, add some sauteed onions, and top with dried cranberries or sliced almonds at the table. If they are sauteed until sweet, your toddler won't notice the onions, and only if your toddler is interested in the nuts or fruit does s/he have to eat them. To the chicken, add a great sauce, spicing it up for yourself, and providing the opportunity to introduce new flavors to your child one bit at a time.
• Turn it into a sandwich. One of the most fun things about having a toddler around is having the leeway to eat with my fingers again. I've found that pretty much anything tastes good to a young toddler if it can be eaten with fingers in the form of a sandwich. Beans and rice, if wrapped in a tortilla, go down very easily. A grilled cheese can be loaded with veggies and lean protein that will go unnoticed.

If these tips don't work for you, it's always worth it to go the extra mile to encourage healthy eating in your child. I have enjoyed this book's recipes, and hope you will, too.

Comments

[Katherine]

You are too funny. We also have been eating toddler fare and just are coming out of that stage. These are great ideas - and I love the picture!!

[highchairdiner]

Oh, good, Katherine! It's good to know that this is a stage! What a pleasure it is to share with kids the beauty and joy of good food ... if only we could do it on adult-sized plates. Thanks for commenting!

[diningwiththree]

I think I've been blessed with a child who is not picky about our plates or the food on them. He eats up the tofu/cauliflower curry of last night or whatever the meal. It does mean though, that I can't have dessert. I don't want him eating sugar, and it's had the fortunate/unfortunate consequence to mean I don't get it either.